Letters to the Editor, Aug. 27-29, 2014

Submissions from Park Record readers

Posted:
08/26/2014 04:26:33 PM MDT

PCMR needs to stand up and take responsibility

Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) has again tried to influence the greater Park City public by way of the full-page Jenni Smith letter. Her letter entirely fails in its very obvious objectives of persuading Parkites that (1) PCMR is a victim and (2) Vail is the bad guy.

Nowhere in her letter does she acknowledge or take responsibility for the fact that the primal mover to this debacle was PCMR's blunder of not renewing the lease. That blunder was compounded when it tried to cover up that blunder by creating a post dated renewal letter. Does PCMR really care about the financial carnage being suffered by the hotels and other ski support businesses, not to mention the angst its own employees and we "locals" are feeling? If so, it needs to put its money where its mouth is. What travel agent in his/her right mind would recommend a one-week ski trip to Park City in the 2014-15 season where the mountain might not open? It will, for that reason, be a great year for Colorado (and Vail Resorts?) at the expense of Park City.

My point is that if PCMR actually gives a darn about all the grief that the PCMR-Vail dispute has caused, then it should stop whining about what a victim it is, and take steps that factor in its own culpability. If it has to take a financial "hit," it ought to "man up" and do so.

Dave DiBiase

Park City

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Outsourcing Park City's Community

I am profoundly disappointed and frustrated at the Planning Department's recent decision to turn down the proposed design for the new Kimball Art Center (KAC).

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In doing so, town leadership and staff continue the legacy of the last administration, i.e. the outsourcing of our community from Old Town to Kimball Junction and other venues.

As members of our community know, Old Town has become purely a tourist attraction, with historic facades, residential condominiums (a euphemism for seasonal housing), memorabilia stores, and restaurants that shut down when the tourists go home.

The Kimball Art Center is the heart of Park City's vibrant arts community, offering over three hundred classes a year for children and adults, in addition to art exhibition experiences to tens of thousands. A revitalized and vibrant art building would have added a much-needed cultural center and year-round activity hub for the community; for OUR community.

Despite the Planning Department's decision, the KAC remains dedicated to creating a building that can display a wide variety of exhibits and more importantly, inspire artists young and old. The decision to turn down multiple designs that the KAC has offered in good faith and at substantial cost is likely to force the Kimball Art Center to preferentially consider other venues.

Perhaps some will celebrate this decision as a victory for the advocates of the western mining town motif that "preserves" Old Town for everything but the local community's future.

Dan Lemaitre

Park City

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If leaders don't leash pets, why should we?

Editor:

A local city official was walking his dog on the McLeod Creek Trail on Wed. off-leash. Thanks to his wife, though, for picking up the dog after it jumped on her and before it could jump on me. Their dog isn't under voice control.

I am guessing that the Leadership Class won't be taking up the topic of leash laws anytime soon. If our leaders don't follow the leash laws, it is hopeless to believe that the rest of us might walk, run or ride our own trails without being mauled by dogs.

Maureen Bradley

Park City

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Beni the pup still needs your help

Editor:

I wanted to thank and update everyone that became a benefactor for Beni, the puppy with deformed legs that we adopted in May. However, the surgery to repair his painful condition turned out to be well beyond what we could afford so we started a GoFundMe site for him.

We were unable to raise the full amount for both of his back legs to be operated upon, so we have chosen to proceed with taking care of only one. We are extremely grateful for your acts of generosity and could not be forging ahead without your contributions!

Pete loved his community and was overwhelmed by the out pouring of support from all directions. Park City was not his birth place but it was his home, this is where he worked, lived, loved and played. We could not have managed without you.

With heartfelt thanks and gratitude.

Julie Mastin and Pete Barquin

Park City

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A trip out of town offers rare insights

Editor:

It, life I mean, is difficult, good, amazing and always a surprise if one takes the time to notice. For the past two weeks it found me at the home of a friend in the deep South, walking the dog through a neighborhood I did not recognize. What a contrast to my everyday life. The neighborhood is deeply blue collar. The modest one story bungalows, some inhabited by more than one generation show signs of neglect and poverty. I see an older woman watering flowers. We speak briefly. Two houses further, I wonder if it is currently occupied or if they just never mow the lawn. Next there are two small one story dwellings with lawns neatly groomed next to a home with a mattress leaning against the basketball support post directly next to the road. How do the kids play basketball without getting run over?

Down the street is a small home hard to see. In front are four cars, one on blocks. Behind which is a high chain link fence made a visual barrier with cammo netting and No Trespassing signs. I wave to the man working on the car, he waves back. Next is a small home not remarkable except for the American flag out front which is not remarkable except for the flag beneath it which shows an AR 15 assault rifle with the statement beneath it "Come and Get it". While my canine charge sniffs the grass, I ponder that perhaps it would be wiser to live in a home that speaks more softly but carries a big stick. Perhaps this home does both. All these observations and thoughts while walking a well groomed Schnauzer with a pink collar, pink lead and pink doggy shirt that says "princess". How bazaar, I would rather be hunting pheasant in South Dakota or trout fishing at the Strawberry Reservoir.

Don't misunderstand, the people are amiable, they mind their own business and like me are fiercely independent. My favorite state motto is "Live Free or Die" and second to the American flag my favorite is the first United States Navy Battle flag.....the one with a snake and the statement "don't Tread on Me"..........we probably have a lot in common.

I could live here or anywhere and find joy and comfort in life. However, I live in the richest country in the world, and even by that standard live in a place in that country where we have more than most. Finishing my walk I think about human history and present day events. America, how it was for me, and Park City how it is for me now. It is all so very good but that could all quickly go away if we as individuals and as a nation continue addressing current national and local problems for narrow short sighted gain rather than a wide long sighted consensus for the common good.

David Ludema

Park City

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City's rejection of KAC design makes no sense

Editor:

On face, the decision makes no sense and is detrimental to the economic and social vibrancy of the old town area. The Park City government, through its planning staff, is inducing a beloved, popular, and community oriented organization to depart from its longstanding locale. The denial does not seem to note the specific design flaws that instigated this ill-conceived decision. I hope the expected uproar and backlash will force reconsideration.

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